Meet GIVEGIVE, a company dedicated to bettering the lives of women in need by way of spot-on design. Their signature line, MULXIPLY, is comprised of (exceptionally giftable) iPad® sleeves, clutches, zipper pouches, and more, made with felt, and by Nepalese women. GIVEGIVE makes the conscious choice to enlist the work of women in co-ops as opposed to factory workers to produce these products, so as to ensure fair-trade partnerships (meaning employees are receiving the wages they desevrve, along with postiive working conditions and benefits surrounding education and healthcare). In short, these pieces are the way by which women are realizing opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise received.

In 2010, after having spent most of her professional career in design and fashion, Cesh decided to take a hiatus and traveled to South Asia to get a closer look at the oppression and abuse so many women of the region face on a daily basis. She met various businesses and projects which had worked to empower women by way of providing them with jobs by way of creative work, but also recognized the importance of outside partnerships and market-forward designs in order to draw interest and support (which, of course, would lead to even further growth and opportunity for those employed women).

Upon her return to the States two years later, Tanja met up with Annalisa Oswald – herself boasting a background in graphic design and web development, as well as teaching at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) – and together they decided to do something about what Cesh had witnessed during her two-year journey. That something, of course, became GIVEGIVE.

PS: You’re in luck! – GIVEGIVE’s online shop just launched. So get in there, and do some good by way of giving. (Orders placed through December 17th will arrive in time for Christmas.)

By Sarah Stanley, Staff Writer

For more on stylish acts of charity, check our In Good Fashion column every Thursday.

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